Career Mentoring Fellows

Career Mentoring Fellows guide students and early-career scientists through virtual and in-person activities at APS conferences, career fairs, networking events, and in events for physics departments. Applications are now closed.
A student at the APS March Meeting job fair

Invite a Career Mentoring Fellow to Speak

Career Mentoring Fellows come from a variety of backgrounds and are experts in the physics career paths available to students. If you'd like to invite a Career Mentoring Fellow to speak at your institution or conference, please inquire below.

Invite a Career Mentoring Fellow

Your experience can make a difference

We welcome individuals with physics degrees from a diverse array of career paths and levels, including industry, government, academia, nonprofits, and public service, to apply to become Career Mentoring Fellows.

Get involved in the Career Mentoring Fellows program

The Career Mentoring Fellows program offers many ways for you to help support physics students and early-career scientists.

Provide presentation feedback

Fellows can provide feedback during undergraduate research sessions at APS meetings.

Participate in APS job fairs

Participants can take part in mentoring activities, as well as work at the career and resume help desk at APS job fairs.

Speak about physics careers

You can share your expertise by presenting on physics careers at an institution or event near you.

Participate in APS meetings

The 2024–2025 Career Mentoring Fellows can take part in the APS March Meeting, April Meeting, the Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) Meeting, the Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Meeting, and Conferences for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics.

Fellows can participate in a number of ways, including providing feedback on undergraduate research sessions, serving on career panels, signing up for the resume help desk, and more. Fellows may be eligible for partial travel funding and registration reimbursement, based on financial need and available resources.

Benefits of becoming a Career Mentoring Fellow

As a Career Mentoring Fellow, you will set up students and early career physicists for success while strengthening your own connections in the physics community.

Implicit bias training

You will receive implicit bias training to foster an inclusive physics community.

Mentor training

You will receive mentor training to help you effectively guide students and early career physicists.

Career resource knowledge

You will gain expertise about physics career options and APS career resources.

[Implicit bias] training was extremely useful for academic mentoring environments.
— 2022 Career Mentoring Fellow

Apply to join

Applications for Career Mentoring Fellows are open annually from June until August.

Physics degree holders working in industry, academia, government, public service, or the nonprofit sector — including postdocs and faculty — are welcome to apply.

The application form will ask you to describe:

  • Your interest in learning about diverse physics careers and mentoring students
  • Your previous experience as a volunteer or mentor to students or early career physicists, through APS or another organization
  • Your leadership skills, preferably related to activities benefiting students
  • Your experience and interest in furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion in physics

As part of your application, you must also include contact information for a student or early-career scientist who can serve as a reference, and describe your assistance or mentorship of students or early career scientists. Your reference will receive a request to submit a half-page statement of support on your behalf. We recommend that you reach out to this reference before you submit your application.

Ready to join?

Applications open annually in June. If you'd like to learn more, please contact the APS Careers team.

Meet the 2024–2025 fellows

We wish to extend our thanks to this year's fellows for their work in supporting physics students and early-career scientists.

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